Hello again, Northwest gardeners! I posted the following questions over at the clematis board, but i wanted to cross-post it here also to get as many eyes on it as possible.

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Hello, everyone! I'm in the process of creating the "bones" of my garden beds, and want very much for clematis to be a dominant presence in the overall scheme. I have two clematis vines so far, and have a question about both.

The first is a clematis armandii, the vigor of which i completely underestimated. I'm totally puzzled about the kind of support that would be suitable for this robust vine. I'd love to have it fill in and soften that odd corner, but i can't figure out what kind of trellis system would be best for the space. I don't want to connect anything to the siding, so whatever i stick in the soil there would have to be free standing. Am i looking for the impossible?

I suppose i could just keep it pruned to the basic size it is now, though that seems a waste of its potential, no?

The second clematis is also an evergreen, though the name of it escapes me. Like the other, it was planted last year, but only this morning, i freed it from the little bamboo pokies it was affixed to and gave it an actual trellis. Two questions come to mind when i consider this vine:

1. Should i be concerned about the browning foliage at the base of the vine, and

2. What mounding sort of bushy something should i plant at its feet to shade the roots?

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As a novice gardener, feedback and suggestions of all kinds are welcomed and deeply appreciated. :)

I hope everyone's having a great Sunday!